Bill folder devices are commonly known, also identified as a billfold or payment folder, wherein a service provider presents the bill or payment stub with the full account of the service to a customer. For example, some of these services may include restaurants, bars, hotels, and many others. There are some bill folder devices in the State of the Art that include some improvements whose primary purpose is to facilitate the processing and collection of the bill settlement.
An improved bill folder is described in US patent application US2005/0046172 that includes inside a plurality of compartments configured to accommodate a plurality of cards, debit or credit, together with a built-in calculator in the same folder to facilitate customer calculation of the bill. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,079 protects a calculator with a display adapted for tip calculation; wherein said calculator is coupled to a bill folder or payment folder. Further to the electronics usually used in a calculator, the bill folders described in both documents do not exhibit further improvements in the electronics field or integration to information systems.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,214 protects a bill folder device that presents a tab type visual indicator which slides on two or more colored areas that allow the service provider to know the payment status of the customer. However, this simple invention does not involve electronic components, which in conjunction with information systems facilitate the payment procedures. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,115 shows a bill folder with colored flags type signals, wherein each color indicates to the service provider a payment status of the service bill. In this patent, a lightning control circuit for the flag signal that improves viewing, as well as electronic elements are incorporated. However, this bill folder excludes information systems integration. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,673 protects a bill folder wherein a lighting signal is turned on by the user to indicate that the service provider may collect the bill folder. Once again, although this invention includes electronic components for lighting and signaling, this does not include information systems integration.
There are other numerous bill folder devices directed to solve the problem of bill or payment stub viewing per se at the time the service provider is presenting it to the customer. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,409,357, 6,808,208, 7,163,307, 7,270,437, and 7,277,241, describe payment folders with illumination means on the area holding the pay stub or bill. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,808,208 and 7,270,437 also combine the use of lens or magnifying glass to facilitate reading the customer's bill. Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,409,357 and 7,163,307, and U.S. patent application no. US2002/0093813 use sensors that detect the opening of the bill folder and automatically turn on the illumination means.
Additionally, the State of the Art include other bill folder devices which include illumination applied for advertising purposes, such as those described in U.S. patent application 2007/0115650, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,748. Both inventions describe and illustrate in the exterior and interior of the device one or more panels, illuminated from inside or backlit. The function of these panels is to function as an advertising display or showcase to display any advertising sign, logo, or image. In both documents, the panels are limited to show a single image statically. None of these documents suggests an integration of information systems to improve the content presented to the customer in the panels.
Also, U.S. patent application no. US2007/0215695 describes a device and system to present and facilitate the settlement of a restaurant bill. This device is embedded into a bill folder, and has an input and display touch screen, a magnetic card reader to enter payment information, and a system with a memory means to execute computer instructions, a processing unit of computer instructions, additional optional memory means, input devices, output devices, and communication links, which can be wired or wireless. The disadvantage of this bill folder is that it is directed exclusively to present payment information and not any other information that may be useful to the customer. Additionally, another disadvantage is that both the tactile and the magnetic card reader are directed to solving the payment problem through data entry which processing is complicated, requires high security connections and authentication processes with financial institutions whose data processing is more complex. Moreover, this device lacks of means for indicating when the device is in use, which will optimize the use of the battery. Moreover, this device also lacks of means for adjusting the information display device automatically under light conditions at the site. Still further, this device has the disadvantage of lacking a mechanism to detect if the device leaves the location area without authorization, such as in case of theft. Finally, this patent document also discloses the charging means for this device.
Finally, U.S. patent application no. US2002/0194072 describes a device exclusively oriented to perform customer satisfaction surveys. The document describes a device with calculator and data input means allowing the user to introduce the survey responses. Moreover, the document states that these devices can be charged into a base, wherein at the same time extracts the survey data. The disadvantage of this document is that the device does not permit nor considers displaying information of other nature that can be useful to the customer. Moreover, this device lacks of means for indicating when the device is in use, which will optimize the use of the battery. Still further, this device also lacks of means for adjusting the information display device automatically under light conditions at the site. Finally, this device has the disadvantage of lacking a mechanism to detect if the device leaves the location area without authorization, such as in case of theft.
Therefore, there is a need in the prior art for a bill folder or check bill presenter to facilitate the interaction of dynamic information content relevant to a customer during a service payment process. Likewise, the present invention solves the technical problem of integrating a dynamic information content system to a bill folder by electronic components that allow to interact, to optimize energy use and to maintain safe the bill folder.